Integrations

Rails Integration

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Rails Integration

ruflet_rails lets a Rails process serve Ruflet mobile, desktop, and web clients. Ruflet entrypoints can use Rails models and application services. Rails views can render directly into native controls with ERB to Native or remain HTML inside a managed native WebView shell.

Install

# Gemfile
gem "ruflet_rails"

bundle install
bin/rails generate ruflet:install

The generator creates app/views/ruflet/main.rb, config/initializers/ruflet.rb, and an explicit /ws route. Add --web, --desktop, or --client web|desktop|all|none to install a prebuilt client at the same time.

Hybrid Ruflet and Rails

A Ruflet app built with --self can keep its shell, navigation, offline screens, and small local workflows inside the app. When a feature needs Rails, Active Record, background jobs, or a CRuby gem that the embedded runtime does not support, display that feature from a server-driven Rails endpoint with ruflet_app.

RAILS_URL = "https://app.example.com"

Ruflet.run do |page|
  page.add(
    column(
      expand: true,
      controls: [
        text("This header runs in the local Ruflet app"),
        ruflet_app(
          url: RAILS_URL,
          expand: true,
          app_startup_screen_message: "Connecting to Rails…",
          reconnect_timeout_ms: 10_000
        )
      ]
    )
  )
end

Pass the reachable HTTP or HTTPS base URL, not /ws. The Rails app exposes its Ruflet endpoint at /ws, and the client manages that connection. Local screens remain part of the self-contained app; the Rails section requires network access to the server.

This split keeps server-only code and gems out of the installed app while the Rails side uses the normal server-side Ruby ecosystem. The complete example lives in RufletApp/demo/hybride.rb and connects to ruflet_rails_demo.

Connect clients to Rails

Native and desktop endpoint

Use Ruflet::Rails.native to expose an app file to native and desktop clients:

match "/ws",
  to: Ruflet::Rails.native(Rails.root.join("app/views/ruflet/main.rb")),
  via: :all

Pass either an app file or a block:

Ruflet::Rails.native(Rails.root.join("app/views/ruflet/main.rb"))
Ruflet::Rails.native { |page| Dashboard.render(page) }

The block receives the connected Ruflet page. Dashboard is an example of your own application renderer; it is not a class supplied by ruflet_rails.

Mounted Ruflet web app

Mount web when Rails should serve the Flutter web frontend and its WebSocket from one route:

mount Ruflet::Rails.web(
  app_file: Rails.root.join("app/views/ruflet/main.rb")
), at: "/app"

Install the prebuilt web frontend with:

rake ruflet:web

Render Rails views

Choose one renderer for the Rails-powered section:

ERB to Native turns Rails routes and templates

into real native Ruflet widgets. Its Widgets and Services references document the complete ERB API.

Native Shell keeps existing Rails pages as HTML

inside a managed native shell.

Configuration and builds

config/initializers/ruflet.rb holds the backend URL, app name, services, extensions, assets, and build colors. Use Ruflet::Rails.backend_url rather than hard-coding localhost, because a real device must reach the Rails server.

rake ruflet:build[apk]
rake ruflet:build[aab]
rake ruflet:build[ios]
rake ruflet:build[macos]
rake ruflet:build[windows]
rake ruflet:build[linux]
rake ruflet:install[DEVICE_ID]

The web client is installed with rake ruflet:web; it is not a target of the Rails build task.

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